Desperate elderly forced to forgo food for social care
Authorities struggle to meet demand as cost of living crisis forces those paying for help to cut back
THE pandemic has seen a tripling in the number of desperate people struggling to access social care, a major report has found.
Elderly people and those with disabilities are now having to choose between paying for food and heating or accessing help, according to evidence from charities like Age UK and Mencap.
There has been “a marked increase in the last six months” in the number of carers being turned away by their GP when they try to register to get support.
The “state of the nation” report, compiled by Access Social Care using data from eight charities, warned: “Every day, millions of older and disabled people are denied the social care they need.
“Most local authorities cannot meet the growing demand for care, and none is confident they can meet their legal duties in the future.”
The data from helplines showed that the number phoning to get a care assessment more than tripled over the pandemic, from 2,641 in 2019/20 to 8,684 in 2021/22.
It comes as research shows millions are waiting for an assessment and more than half of councils are prioritising the most serious cases, including those suffering abuse or leaving hospital.
Changes to the care cap system mean an extra 300,000 pensioners who pay for and arrange their own help will be forced on to waiting lists from next year.
The report, which also included data from Carers UK and Independent Age, found people requesting help for problems with existing care rose 43 per cent over the same period.
During the cost of living crisis, the helplines have found that “it is extremely likely that individuals paying towards their care will not have enough money left over to buy the essentials”.
One patient said: “I have had to stop putting my heating on and not use the oven or gas, I am microwaving more meals or eating cold meals like sandwiches and pasta. I am trying to not switch my lights on unless it’s really, really dark and I cannot see my hand in front of me.”
The charities noted that cashstrapped local authorities now rely on charging those who previously had free care to try to balance their books.
“People in this situation face a bleak prospect of choosing to pay for care or pay for their food, as reported by several of our member organisations,” the report said. “We know of several people who had to hand back their support packages as they cannot afford to pay for them.”
Carers are also facing issues, according to the report, which is due to be released today and was seen exclusively by The Daily Telegraph. It noted: “An increasing number of carers are being told by their GP that they are not carers or do not qualify for carer support, or for things like priority access to the Covid vaccine. The impact of this is huge and many carers are left at breaking point.”
Kari Gerstheimer, chief executive of Access Social Care, said: “We want a social care system that is properly financed, readily available and fairly distributed. Currently, vital services are overstretched, and people are going without the necessary social care they so desperately need – something needs to change.”